What It Takes
by Cuinawen
Summary: Dean and Sam Winchester haven't seen old family friend Bella Swan since the summers they spent training at Bobby's years before, but they drop everything to go to her when Sam's prophetic nightmares take a personal turn. Joining forces, they then realise that she is already part of something bigger, just like Sam is.
1. The Road So Far, Bring Your Daughter

_**What It Takes, Chapter 1: The Road So Far... (Bring Your Daughter... to the Slaughter)**_

_No, still not abandoning my other stories, blame my beta with her bribes of pretty banners for making me get this posted :)_

_I don't own either Twilight, or Supernatural. I'm just having some fun_

* * *

Every child at some point is scared of something, whether it be a monster under the bed or some creature in the closet, or perhaps some other faceless horror. Usually a parent tells them that monsters aren't real, but not Bella's. No, her dad, Charlie, had told her the truth. _Monsters were very real, indeed._

In fact she had learned from a very early age that there were monsters out there, and some of them were worse than anything a child could dream up, but she had also learned how to protect herself…

_**Then…**_

_Bella was running. Every breath was like a dagger to her chest, and her legs were screaming in pain, but she kept pushing, desperately heading towards the edge of the woods._

_She wasn't fast enough._

_A pale hand reached out and snatched at Bella's arm, throwing her off balance and sending her hurtling into a tree. She gasped for breath as she heaved herself onto her back, staring up at the vampire in front of her._

_A ray of sunlight reflected off Victoria's distinctive bright red hair and made her hard skin sparkle. Bella might have considered her beautiful if not for the fact she was here to kill her. Though the venomous sneer on her face couldn't be considered all that attractive really._

_"Alone at last," Victoria smirked nastily at her. "I'm surprised you know, you put up much more of a fight than dear old Dad."_

_Bella willed herself not to show any outward reaction, even though felt like her heart was breaking. It had been a matter of weeks since her Dad had been murdered, courtesy the vampire standing in front of her. 'No reaction', she told herself, not wanting to give Victoria the satisfaction. She is a hunter, raised and trained to be one from an early age, and she wasn't going to give a vampire the pleasure of seeing her break. She was better than that._

_Bella could hear howls in the distance, but they were going to be too late. The wolf pack, her friends for the most part, they weren't close enough to stop Victoria as she laughed cruelly and lunged forward…_

_The sudden blackness cleared and Bella found herself watching two men, Sam and Dean. Images flashed before her eyes; the boys in danger, crawling bugs, something in a mirror, a creepy scarecrow. She saw Dean in a hospital bed…_

_**Now…**_

**~*~I~*~**

_Honey it's getting close to midnight  
And all the myths are still in town  
True love and lipstick on your linen  
Bite the pillow make no sound  
If there's some living to be done  
Before your life becomes your tomb  
You'd better know that I'm the one  
So unchain your back door invite me around_

Bella bolted upright and looked around as she gasped for breath. She was in a bed and the familiar room was lit by the dim early morning light. It was just a dream… _again_.

She sighed and rubbed her face, the last image of her dream flashing in front of her eyes. These dreams were becoming an issue. She wasn't surprised by the dreams of Victoria, they had come and gone ever since Charlie's death, but the fact that she kept seeing the Winchester brothers… she wasn't sure what to make of it.

She had considered calling Sam, who she still spoke to occasionally, but he and Dean had _real_big evils to deal with. He had more important things to do than hear about her strange nightmares.

Swinging her legs out of bed, Bella hopped she hadn't woken anyone padding quietly across the room as she headed towards the kitchen to get a drink, it was unlikely she hadn't though. After all, the house she was currently staying in belonged to Sam Uley, alpha of the La Push wolf pack, he of the '_oh so sensitive_' hearing.

The chances are he already knew she was awake, and if by some miracle she hadn't been talking in her sleep like usual, he would have known as soon as she had got out of bed. It was a wonder that he got any sleep at all, being able to hear that much.

It had taken her weeks to feel comfortable even peeing here, knowing that the wolves, or_Skinwalkers_ as they should be called, could hear every single thing, even though closed doors.

Bella had been living in La Push for over a year and a half now. Ever since Victoria had destroyed half of her home in a fatal attack on her dad Charlie, leaving little choice but to burn down the rest to cover it up.

She had managed to salvage her Dad's journals, her weapons and a few clothes but not much else.

Staying with her Dad's old friend Billy Black had worked for a little while, but there wasn't much space and Jacob had started being an asshole, so Sam and Emily had been kind enough to offer her their spare room.

Living with a shape-shifting pack had taken some getting used to, but Bella was no stranger to the supernatural.

It had all begun when Bella was just six months old and a demon had murdered her mother, Renee. Everyone had said it was a house fire, a tragic accident, but Charlie, her dad, had known there was more to it.

He had seen the strange figure leaning over the crib, had seen Renee screaming and bleeding as she was pinned to the ceiling, had seen the way the room had then caught fire. So, while he agreed with the general opinion that they were both lucky to be alive, he knew it was no accident that took Renee away from them.

Not being able to let it rest, Charlie searched for the truth, and he and Bella had eventually met John Winchester and his sons, whose family story was eerily similar.

Working together, they kept looking for the truth about what had happened to their families and the more they searched, the more they realised the world was full of supernatural creatures, and living myths and legends.

Their very natures meant they were unable to stand by and do nothing with their knowledge, so John became a full-time hunter, tracking down and killing ghosts, demons and other creatures that sought to harm innocent people. All the while keeping his eyes and ears open for anything new on the demon that had taken so much from them.

Charlie on the other hand had stayed with Forks PD working his way up to Sheriff; he hunted part time, but also helped provide cover for fellow hunters when needed.

As for Bella… for a start she knew how to shoot by the time she could tie her own shoelaces. While girls her age were playing with fashion dolls she was being drilled in self-defence, weapons skills, and tactics.

They didn't see that much of the Winchesters, though John and Charlie spoke regularly, but every summer they would meet up at fellow hunter Bobby Singer's place for a few weeks.

It was chance for the three men to exchange knowledge and also to give the 'kids' extra training. Though Charlie didn't really want Bella to grow up to be a hunter, unlike like John who already took his boys all over the country with him, he had wanted Bella to be able to take care of myself whatever she decided.

As far as Bella was concerned, those weeks in the summer were easily her best times as a child. No matter how hard the training got, she loved being there, and enjoyed every minute that she got to spend with Sam and Dean Winchester.

Sammy was her best friend and she adored him, he was only a year or so older and they'd spend most of their time together each summer just hanging out.

Dean was the protector, always keeping watch over the both of them. He was older and while Bella always thought Sammy was cute, it was Dean she'd had an embarrassing crush on since the moment she was old enough to notice boys.

The rest of the year Bella spent in Forks with Charlie, going to school by day, studying demons and dead languages by night, while Charlie hunted whenever he could.

Forks should have been relatively safe, but by some weird twist of fate Bella had ended up at school with a group of what hunters called 'type two' vampires.

Bella had known there was something up with them right away, and Billy Black had filled her and Charlie in about the legends of the 'Cold ones'. After Charlie met the leader, Carlisle Cullen several times an agreement was reached, and he'd leave them alone as long as they stuck to their 'vegetarian' diet.

Unfortunately for Bella though, she'd earned her very own vampire stalker in the form of one Edward Cullen after she was sat next to him for Biology in junior year.

Apparently he was a mind reader and was intrigued by the fact her mind was silent to him. At least that's the excuse his 'family' gave for him. Bella just thought he was creepy and obsessive, especially once she found out that her blood smelt like a 'nummy treat' for him.

It was his fixation on Bella that had drawn the attention of a group of three nomads; Victoria, James, her mate, and their coven member Laurent.

Edward had been spending so much time creeping around in the woods next to the Swans' house that they had followed the obvious trail he had left right to Bella. James had evidently agreed with the opinion of her tasty smell and had returned to Forks repeatedly to pursue her.

Most of the Cullens had outright refused to get involved, despite the mess being the fault of one of their own, but the La Push pack had begun phasing and eventually they had all managed to set James up and kill him.

It had only been a matter of months before Victoria resurfaced along with Laurent, swearing revenge on Bella who she blamed for the death of her mate. Laurent had followed James' fate quickly, but Victoria had been much harder to take down. Managing to escape each time she returned to try and get to Bella.

After a game of cat and mouse lasting well over a year, somehow Victoria had eventually gotten the jump on Charlie, leaving him in the wreckage of their home for Bella to find. It was November 2004 and she had recently turned 20.

Taking the Quileute pack up on their offer of protection, Bella had moved to La Push and started training harder than ever. Working closely with the pack to create some weapons that would work on a 'type two's' granite skin.

The red-headed bitch was tough, and a master at escaping, but they had finally got to her down a couple of weeks previously, after setting up a ruse with Bella as the bait, heading off to Seattle alone as if she'd had a falling out with the pack, and then ambushing Victoria as she attacked.

It had been a bittersweet victory, finally taking down the monster that had ended Charlie, her father. It had also stirred up the nightmares that had plagued her on and off since Charlie's death.

Bella scratched absently at the brace on her right hand as she walked into the kitchen. The brace was a souvenir, not from the fight with Victoria, but from the celebration bonfire afterwards.

Jacob Black decided not to take no for answer and had pulled a dick move, trying to forcibly kiss her. She had punched him of course, giving him a bloody nose and herself a broken hand thanks to his damn_ 'Skinwalker physiology'_.

No more than five minutes later she was being checked over by Sue Clearwater, resident La Push nurse, and Jacob had a freshly broken jaw courtesy of Paul Lahote, resident La Push bad boy and unlikely friend of Bella's.

Not many people bothered to see what she saw in Paul, that underneath the temper and bad guy act he was actually pretty decent.

When she had first started training with the pack it had just been the three of them, him Sam and Jared, and when Sam and Jared had both imprinted Paul had taken it hard, so Bella had kept him company.

They had gone on to become good friends, and although he had ended up being her first after she'd drunkenly confessed to not wanting to die a virgin, there were never any romantic notions between them. They were just comrades… who very occasionally fell into bed together.

Deep in thought as she stood at the sink, Bella filled a glass and sipped the cool water. She felt on edge, the dreams she kept having were unsettling her.

Though she was used to nightmares about Victoria, her recent dreams about the Winchester boys were troubling and the haunting image of Dean in that bed looking so pale and weak made her feel downright nauseous.

It didn't matter that it had been years since she'd seen them; she had never stopped loving either of the boys.

Sam had stayed in touch with her over the years, and last time Bella had heard from him he was back hunting with Dean while they looked for their dad John, who had gone missing less than a year after Charlie was killed.

Bella sighed as she headed back to her room, glass in hand. The restless feeling was still nagging at her. Beside the worry of her disturbing dreams, she couldn't help thinking that she needed to decide what she wanted to do now Victoria was dead. She wasn't a kid anymore; her twenty-second birthday was only a couple of months away, and as nice as most of the pack had been, she couldn't stay here forever.

**~*~II~*~**

_Honey it's getting close to daybreak  
The sun is creeping in the sky  
No patent remedies for heartache  
Just empty words and humble pie  
So get down on your knees honey  
Assume an attitude  
You just pray that I'll be waiting  
Cos you know I'm coming soon_

Dean Winchester woke with a start, not entirely sure what had disturbed him at first.

Sleep hadn't come easy recently anyway, so he shrugged it off as a dream he fortunately couldn't remember and was just about to turn over and try to go back to sleep when a low, pained cry came from across the room.

"Dammit Sammy," He muttered, sitting up to look at his brother who was sleeping fitfully on the other bed.

His anger drained away though, when he got a good look at him. Sam's face was pale and tense even in his sleep, and as Dean watched, he began to thrash his head from side to side, muttering _no, no, no,_ over and over.

Dean threw off his covers and quickly crossed the room, putting his hand on Sam's shoulder. "Sam…"

"No, no, no, Bells… oh, no, no…"

Dean's gut clenched as he deciphered Sam's frantic mumbling. Surely he couldn't mean… No, there was no way, _it couldn't be her_.

"Sam… Sammy… SAMMY!" The last shout combined with Dean's hand roughly shaking him did the trick. Sam was fully awake, sweaty and shivering and looking like he'd seen a ghost.

"Jesus Sammy," Dean sighed letting go of his shoulder and sitting on the edge of the bed. "Please tell me that wasn't another one of _those _dreams."

Sam's eyes snapped to meet his. "Dean, we need to leave… _now_!"

He jumped up quickly and the room seemed to momentarily tilt on its axis for him, causing Dean to look at him concerned as he closed his eyes for a second hoping it would help. Instead, he just pictured a familiar pair of wide brown eyes, and his stomach rolled unpleasantly.

Eventually he managed to shake it off and headed into the bathroom with fresh jeans and a shirt. A splash of cold water and a few deep breaths later he could focus better. As he came back into the room to pack, he was relieved to see Dean already half-dressed and stuffing clothes into his bag.

"Well, what is it this time?" Dean asked abruptly, trying to force the thought of Bella being in danger from his mind. "It's gotta be big to have you out of bed and all set to go at…" he glanced at his watch then back at Sam, "…Three A.M. and to have you looking this shitty."

Sam swallowed, knowing he was about to stir up a hornets nest of unresolved crap for Dean, and hating himself for it.

"Dean… It's Bella…"

Dean didn't say anything for a moment, his jaw tightening being the only outward sign he'd heard anything. Then he turned to his clothes, quickly pulling out a shirt and throwing it on before haphazardly packing the rest.

"She still in Forks?" His voice was rough, making Sam pause and look at him in concern.

"She was living in La Push the last time I spoke to her, it's the Reservation just up the road from there."

Dean nodded tightly, shouldering his bag and making for the door. "Then that's where we head to first."

Sam picked up his bag, but hesitated. "Look, Dean… I…"

"Don't Sammy." Dean couldn't even look at his brother as he spoke. "She has to be okay… I can't think of her any other way… just… she's fine, she's got to be."

Sam sighed and nodded, though Dean didn't see it. Locking the room as he left, he then headed to the little office to drop off the room keys while Dean pulled the car around, waiting impatiently outside for him.

Neither of them said a word as Sam got in and Dean drove away. Unusually for Dean, there was no music playing either. Instead the silence weighed heavily on them both as the Impala sped along the freeway.

"Dean," Sam started uncertainly a while later, after the quiet had finally become too much, "I'm sure she's okay."

"Yeah," Dean scoffed bitterly glancing briefly at him, "I'm sure you having that nightmare about her means everything's just peachy. That's not how this _thing_ of yours works."

"I don't really know how it works," Sam sighed, "Or what it means."

He looked over at Dean, who was staring straight ahead at the road. His face was impassive, but his hands were gripping the steering wheel just a little too tightly, giving away just how on edge he was.

Sam loved Bella dearly, she had always been somewhere between a little sister and a best friend to him during the summers they had spent together at Bobby's growing up, but he suspected it wasn't the same for Dean. After that last summer they'd spent with her, Sam was convinced she meant something entirely different to his brother.

He hoped that Bella would be okay, for his sake but mainly for Dean's. He didn't want to see what it would do to his brother if she wasn't.

_Hold on Bella… we're coming for you…_

_So pick up your foolish pride, no going back  
No where, no way, no place to hide_

_Bring your daughter, bring your daughter to the slaughter  
Let her go, let her go, let her go_

* * *

_Chapter title and lyrics are from Bring Your Daughter… to the Slaughter ~ Iron Maiden_

_Thanks to Mommy4Thomas for being beta and badgering me to get this written and posted. Big blue popsicle for you._


	2. True to You

_**What It Takes, Chapter 2: True to You**_

_I don't own either Twilight, or Supernatural... only the plot is mine. I'm just having some fun_

* * *

_**Then...**_

_"I don't really know how it works," Sam sighed, "Or what it means."_

_He looked over at Dean, who was staring straight ahead at the road. His face was impassive, but his hands were gripping the steering wheel just a little too tightly, giving away just how on edge he was._

_Sam loved Bella dearly, she had always been somewhere between a little sister and a best friend to him during the summers they had spent together at Bobby's growing up, but he suspected it wasn't the same for Dean. After that last summer they'd spent with her, Sam was convinced she meant something entirely different to his brother._

_He hoped that Bella would be okay, for his sake but mainly for Dean's. He didn't want to see what it would do to his brother if she wasn't._

Hold on Bella… we're coming for you…

_**Now...**_

**~*~I~*~**

_I believe, that there's something deep inside  
That shouldn't be from time to time.  
I sure found out, thought love was such a crime  
The more you care, the more you fall  
No need to worry, no need to turn away  
'Cause it don't matter, anyway_

Bella got out of her truck, smiling faintly as a huge wolf, most likely Seth, barked a greeting at her before loping off towards the woods. She grabbed the paper bag of groceries and headed into the small cottage that had served as her home for the last eighteen months.

"Sam? Emily?" She called out as she walked in, shrugging when she didn't get a response and continuing on her way to the kitchen.

Unloading the shopping, Bella was lost in thought as she opened the refrigerator to put the food away. She wouldn't exactly call Sam a friend – in fact Paul and Seth were probably her only real friends in the pack, especially since Embry and Quil had sided with their long-time friend Jacob when she'd had issues with him – but Emily was a nice girl, and Sam had been kind enough to let her stay in his home. Plus the pack had helped her take out Victoria, so a little shopping to contribute to the pack's vast grocery demands was the least she could do.

Closing the fridge and turning around Bella jumped and rapidly drew a concealed knife, as she came face to face with a startled Native American girl, with three distinctive scars running down her face.

"Jesus, Emily," Bella grumbled, quickly recognising her and lowering the blade, "Hasn't anyone ever told you not to sneak up on a hunter? It rarely ends well."

"Sorry," Emily held her hands up apologetically then looked at Bella closely, "Are you okay? You seem pretty on edge."

Bella sighed as she tucked the knife back away and sat down heavily at the kitchen table. "Yes… no… I don't know."

Emily headed further into the kitchen, filling a kettle and setting it on the hob to heat while she silently prepared two mugs, placing a steaming cup of tea in front of Bella a few moments later, once she was done.

"You looked like you needed it," She offered quietly as she moved around the room, getting started with preparing dinner, "Is this about your friends that are coming? You haven't seen them in a long time right?"

"It's been five years." Bella replied evasively before standing up, mug in hand, "Thanks Em… I'm gonna sit outside for a bit."

Emily nodded in understanding, she knew better than to expect Bella to open up about anything hunter related. She liked Bella well enough, but they were never going to be close friends, their lives and their personalities were just too different.

Bella sat on the wooden porch steps, kicking off her shoes and setting the mug down on the step beside her. Leaning back against the step behind her, she closed her eyes and sighed heavily.

Five years since she had last seen Dean and Sam, since she had spent one last summer with them at Bobby's, and now after suddenly getting a text from Sam that morning she was going to come face to face with them again in a matter of hours.

The text itself hadn't given away much at all, simply telling her to 'expect a visit', and now she didn't know what to think as she sat there sipping her tea. Seeing Sam would be one thing, they still spoke on the phone occasionally anyway, but the thought of seeing Dean again was something else entirely.

Predictably her mind drifted back to the last time she saw him, summer 2001, not long before her seventeenth birthday.

_It was mid-morning on her last day there, and she was hiding out in her favourite getaway spot for that year, having had to find a new one each summer in the ever-changing scrap yard._

_This time it was a little clearing, still relatively close to the house but fairly well hidden by several twists and turns of the narrow paths formed between the stacked wrecks._

_Of course, as usual Dean had discovered the hiding place right away. Somehow he always knew where to find her, and it hadn't taken Sam much longer. So she would often find Sam reading there, or Dean having a quiet beer._

_Today, instead of using one of the old padded bench seats the brothers had dragged there to sit on, she had chosen a conveniently placed wreck that was up on bricks over to one side. Perched up on the bonnet of the old black Desoto, her feet dangled over what was left of the rusted front bumper as she sat there crying._

_She had always hated when it was time to leave here and head back to everyday life, but it felt worse than ever this year. Despite an uncomfortable atmosphere in the Winchester family, she didn't want to leave._

_Things had become ridiculously tense during that summer; Sam wanted to leave for college the next year, and both Dean and John objected strongly to it._

_Dean and Sam were rarely in each other's company without arguing because of it and consequently Bella had been expecting to spend the whole summer either with just Sam like she had the previous year while Dean had been off hunting with John, or mostly on her own outside of training._

_However to her surprise, Dean had been there for the entire summer this year and even more surprisingly would frequently encourage her to come and sit down whenever she found him alone having one of his quiet beers._

_Sometimes they would be quiet, just sharing the chance for a bit of peace, but Bella's favourite times were when she would curl up next to him on one of the old padded bench seats as he talked music and films and told her stories of travelling the country._

_Sam had been teasing Bella for years about the crush she was harbouring for Dean, but as they got to know more about each other that summer she realised that she was really falling for him._

_She would never say anything of course; as much as the realisation hurt, she knew she'd never have a chance. Dean was older, wiser, and utterly gorgeous… Bella saw how women looked at him, and he could have anyone he wanted. He was a bona fide sex god and guys like him didn't end up with girls like her, no matter how comfortable they'd recently become around each other._

_Drawn out of her thoughts, Bella sniffed surreptitiously and scrubbed her hands over her face as she heard footsteps approach. By the sound of it she guessed it was Dean, as Sam tended to be much quieter, and she didn't want him to see her crying._

_She knew Dean could tell though. The moment he came into sight he took one look at her and sighed, a pained expression crossing his face._

_Bella watched as he glanced away and seemed to have an internal debate for a moment, before squaring his shoulders and looking back at her. The intense look in his eyes made her shiver as he strode towards her without a word, stopping just between her dangling legs, her knees either side of his hips._

_"Oh yeah, I'm definitely going to hell." He muttered quietly._

_Before Bella could question what he meant, one of his hands moved, sliding upwards from the back of her neck to tangle in her hair, gently angling her head as he leant in and softly pressed his lips to hers._

_For a split second Bella froze, completely stunned and unsure what she was doing, and then she melted into his arms as his other hand curved around her hip._

_The kiss was slow and achingly tender as he held her gently, his thumb brushing back and forth against the bare strip of skin between her tank top and shorts._

_Instinct took over and as one of her hands rested on his broad chest, feeling his heartbeat, the other wound around his neck, playing with the soft hair there. She tugged the strands lightly and a deep moan escaped him as his hands tightened on her hip and in her hair._

_Bella felt a brief sense of pride that she had gotten him to make that delicious noise, then she was lost as he caught her bottom lip between his, sucking it then soothing it with his tongue, making her whimper and tremble against him._

_ He pulled back slowly after a moment, both of them breathing deeply, their foreheads touching. His hand moved around so his thumb could stroke Bella's cheek, wiping away a stray tear she'd missed as she stared at him wide-eyed, barely believing what had just happened._

_"I'm sorry, Birdie, I shouldn't have done that."_

_His voice was strained, barely above a whisper and, with his face so close to hers, she couldn't disguise the pained flinch at his words and the use of the name only he'd ever called her._

_"Please don't say sorry," She was nearly crying again but she forced the words out. "It's ok if you regret it… but it was… I've never before." _Deep breath_, she reminded herself, _in and then out_. "Please don't apologize."_

_"Oh, Birdie," he murmured sadly, his thumb still stroking her cheek. "No, I don't regret a thing with you, least of all that. It wasn't right and I'm too old for you… but I can't regret it."_

_He wrapped his arms tightly around Bella, pulling her close, his sigh grazing the top of her head as she tucked it under his chin. She couldn't guess at how long they were there like that, her face snuggled against his chest, his heartbeat sounding loud next to her ear and his warmth surrounding her._

_She'd never felt safer or more wanted, and the sensation made her fight off a fresh wave of tears, because even without the spectacular kiss, this somehow felt like more than a usual goodbye._

Bella sighed again, coming back to the present and blinking back the tears prickling in her eyes.

After getting the text yesterday, her dreams last night had been more vivid than ever. Images of both the Winchesters hunting, being in danger over and over, had filled her head, making sleep near impossible.

Now with their arrival imminent according to that message Sam had sent her, she was definitely feeling the strain.

**~*~II~*~**

_When we touch, I just lose my self-control  
A sad sensation I can't hide  
To love is easy, it ain't easy to walk away  
I keep the faith and there's a reason why, yeah  
No need to worry, no need to turn away  
'Cause it don't matter, anyway _

The black Impala sped along the road, drawing nearer and nearer to Forks and La Push.

Neither of the two occupants were speaking. Sam was taking a turn at driving, half listening to the low hum of the radio as he watched the road and occasionally shot worried glances towards his brother.

Dean was leaning back in his seat, his eyes fixed somewhere outside the window, though he wasn't really seeing any of the scenery rushing by. Instead his mind was in the past, back when he saw Bella for the last time.

That summer had completely changed the way he saw her and letting her just leave on that last day had been one of the hardest things he'd ever done. That one kiss had been burned into his memory ever since.

_He was holding Bella close, enjoying the way that her tiny frame seemed to fit right against him, and hating himself for how much he liked it. He'd meant what he'd said; there was no way he could regret kissing her._

_Until she had told him, he never would have guessed it was actually her first kiss. For a moment he had almost lost control, almost forgotten that she was only sixteen, and standing here with his arms around her it was still all too easy to forget._

_He'd always been fond of her as a kid; she was smart and funny, even as a little girl, and she had helped keep Sam entertained which was a bonus. Something fundamental had shifted since the beginning of summer though._

_In the couple of years he'd gone without seeing her she had grown up a lot, and he'd begun to see her differently from the cute kid he'd watched along with Sammy. Now at sixteen she was still smart and funny, and he'd found himself wanting to know her and enjoying spending time with her._

_What had really blindsided him though, was that she wasn't just smart and beautiful, she was great to be around; he could easily spend hours talking and laughing with her and had found himself seeking out her company more and more._

_He should have seen the warning signs right away, but of course '_Dean Winchester didn't do chick flick stuff'_, so by the time he even acknowledged it, it was too late. He was already falling hard for the bright beautiful girl that was too young for him and too good for him._

_That was what had led to his decision to remove himself from her life. She was better than him, deserved better than anything he would ever be able to offer her. The life of a hunter… she was worth more than that._

_Dean sighed as she rested her head against his chest, his arms wrapped around her. It hurt him to know he'd never get to do this with her again, never get to feel her in his arms again._

_The moment was broken by a light cough behind him._

_"Charlie's looking for you, Bells." Sam said quietly, an indecipherable look on his face._

_Dean stepped back from Bella and helped her down from the car, before nudging her to walk ahead of him as they headed back toward the house._

_Sam fell into step beside him. "How long were you there?"_

_"Long enough man, long enough." He gave Dean a sad look._

_"Not another word Sammy, not one word…" Dean hissed as Sam opened his mouth to speak again. For the first time since Sam had decided to leave, Dean felt a kinship with him as he just nodded unhappily._

_Bella's subsequent departure had been a bit of a blur for Dean. He had stayed watching them load the car up, but he couldn't really look at her. He was too close to changing his mind and begging her to wait for him, telling her that the minute she was old enough he'd be coming to find her._

_Instead Dean just stood stiffly as she hugged everyone goodbye, telling Bobby she'd be back next year. He'd winced at that; he had no intention of being here. She would be better off without him in her life from now on._

_Later that evening Sam had found Dean, sat on the porch steps nursing a bottle of whiskey. He said nothing as Sam sat down beside him, a beer in his hand._

_"You ok?"_

_Dean had shrugged, after drinking steadily for the last couple of hours he wasn't sure how to answer that._

_"You love her, don't you?" Sam asked suddenly._

_"I told you earlier… not a word."_

_Dean glared at Sam, unwilling to answer his question, but Sam kept staring at him and eventually he sighed, knowing Sam wouldn't just let this go._

_"What did you see?" he asked eventually, taking another deep swig from his bottle. The subject as well as the _'girl talk'_ moment was making him uncomfortable._

_Sam drank a mouthful from his own bottle before replying._

_"Everything…" Dean flinched. "You were saying goodbye, like a permanent goodbye, weren't you?"_

_Dean stared at the ground as he nodded tightly. Sam's eyes widened and Dean cut him off as he went to speak. "She's too good for me."_

_That was it, that had been all there was to say._

"Dean?"

Sam's soft questioning tone drew Dean out of his thoughts and he looked over at his younger brother, grunting an acknowledgement.

We should talk about this." Sam continued ignoring the grunt and glare he received, "I mean, it's Bella…"

I know Sammy… damn!" Dean shouted before getting himself under control again. "I know its Bella."

Sam watched as Dean clenched his jaw, a muscle ticking in his cheek.

"What was after her?" Dean finally asked.

Sam sighed. "I'm not sure exactly, it was just flashes. Along with a feeling that we need to get to her."

"A _feeling_?" Dean asked skeptically.

"Yeah," Sam smiled ruefully, "Believe me, I know how that sounds, but I just know… all this demon stuff; the others like me… Bella's already involved, exactly the same as the rest of us Dean."

Dean nodded. He wasn't really surprised. Though he had hoped it wasn't the case, Bella circumstances eerily matched Sam's; after all it was the only reason their Dad John had met Charlie Swan in the first place. Both Sam and Bella had been force fed demon blood as babies, so it made sense that Bella would still be mirroring Sam even now. Of course she would be one

He couldn't help thinking back to what his Dad had said about Sam just before he died. Did it apply to Bella too? Would he be expected to end her if he couldn't save her? Bile rose in his throat at that thought. _No_, his mind screamed in protest, neither Birdie nor Sammy had it in them to be evil, no matter what that yellow-eyed Demon scum had done to them.

"What if it's like Ava?" Sam asked suddenly, making Dean swear under his breath, "What if she goes missing too?"

"God damn it Sammy!" Dean interrupted him again, "Birdie isn't just gonna disappear, I won't let that happen."

Sam just nodded, trying to mask his concern. Dean had rarely even mentioned Bella since they'd been hunting together again, let alone called her by his old nickname for her. He'd already known his brother had never gotten over his feelings for their childhood friend, if anything they'd only deepened, and now he was worried for both of them.

Their life wasn't easy anyway, and if the girl his brother loved was just as caught up in this demon mess as he himself was, well that just made things a whole lot more difficult.

"Pull over at the next rest stop," Dean said suddenly, breaking Sam from his disquieting train of thought, "I gotta piss, and it's my turn to drive again."

**~*~III~*~**

_Now, I ain't big on promises  
__But I'll be true to you  
__'Cause I'd do 'bout anything  
__For someone like  
__Baby for you _

Bella sat on the wooden porch steps, a small knife in hand as she absently carved a piece of wood. It was something Paul had been teaching her, and though she wasn't outstanding at it, she found it relaxing.

She wasn't sure how long she'd been sitting there, long enough for Emily to bring her out another hot tea and to have drunk it anyway. It wasn't cold out at least, and though it was cloudy the late summer afternoon was dry and surprisingly warm for Forks.

Putting down her knife and the piece of wood, Bella shifted her legs restlessly, fidgeting into a more comfortable position, then stiffening as she heard a noise; an approaching engine.

Squinting down the dirt road, Bella jumped up as the familiar black Impala came into view and bounced up and down on her toes impatiently as she waited for it to finally come to a stop in front of the small house.

"Holy shit!" She gasped as the passenger door opened and a tall man got out. "Sam, is that really you?"

She quickly jogged barefoot across the yard to meet him, ignoring the cold ground under her feet. "Damn Sammy, you got freakishly big."

Sam laughed as he hugged her. "It's been a while huh, Bells."

"A while? It's been years you ass." She slapped playfully at him then hugged him back tightly. She leant back and gazed up at him grinning. "I mean the odd phone call was nice and all…"

Sam laughed gently hugging her once more before gripping her shoulders, pushing her gently back and turning her to face the other way. Her eyes widened as she took in the second man now standing in front of her.

"Dean." her voice was barely above a whisper.

He hadn't changed much, she thought as she studied him, a blush heating her cheeks. Same intense eyes, same cheeky smile, he'd filled out some since they'd last seen each other, aged a little, and it suited him.

She'd never gotten over her huge crush on him from those summers training at Bobby's, let alone the time she'd spent with him that last summer, and now he was right there in front of her. Her stomach filled with butterflies as they just stared at each other for a long moment.

"Come here, Birdie." He opened his arms out just a little, and Bella timidly stepped forward for him to envelop her in a hug. She buried her face in his chest, breathing him in as he held her close.

_Hot damn!_ Dean thought as she pressed against him, her head tucking neatly under his chin._Whoa… Birdie was always cute, but now she's all kinds of wow._ All it had taken was one look at those eyes of hers again, and he was done for… though if he was honest he probably always had been when it came to her.

He could have stood there with her in his arms all afternoon, but a badly disguised snicker from Sam made him pull away, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly as Bella looked at the ground blushing.

Fidgeting uneasily after a moment, Bella looked at Sam. "Not that it isn't great to see you, but why a visit now, after all this time? I mean it's been five years…"

"Bells," Sam sighed, "It's a long story… is there somewhere we can talk?"

Bella nodded, pointing back toward the house. "We can go in there, Sam and Emily can be trusted… they have their own secrets."

She held up a hand, cutting off both Sam and Dean as they opened their mouths to protest.

"Don't start being bitches about it," Dean snorted as Sam gave her an affronted look, "As I said, they have their own secrets to keep. Don't you remember Charlie ever talking about a tribe of shape-shifters?"

She gave them a pointed look until they both got the hint and nodded, following her into the house without any further protest.

Sensing their need for privacy, Emily waved politely when she was introduced then made herself busy in the kitchen. Having so many wolves to cook for meant she always had something to do in there anyway.

"Okay then, spill," Bella demanded once they'd sat down in the small lounge, "What's so important that you suddenly needed to see me after all this time?"

She found it hard to disguise the stab of hurt and anger she felt asking the question, and Dean winced slightly. He deserved her being angry at him, he thought. Though he'd had his reasons for cutting himself from her life, Sam had at least stayed in touch with her in the last five years.

He'd spoken to her only once, right after her dad Charlie had died. A conversation he was fairly sure she didn't even remember now. She'd been piss-ass drunk, and he'd been far from sober as they'd mourned Charlie on opposite sides of the country.

Truthfully, he couldn't remember half of the conversation himself. He knew he'd spoken to her for hours, and thought he might have a vague recollection of telling Bella he loved her… but Sam, who had witnessed the entire thing, refused to ever confirm or deny it.

Sam spoke up after a moment, seeing the tension lining Dean's face.

"I should start from the beginning, and it all goes back a long way," He looked at Bella sadly, "Back to what happened when we were babies… to both of us. This is going to sound crazy, but I've been having dreams…"

Bella froze where she sat, staring at Sam with wide eyes. "Dreams?"

Sam understood her reaction immediately. "You've been having them too." He stated as Dean looked between them uneasily.

"If you mean, crazy ass dreams about the two of you, then yeah I have." Bella bit out, holding her head in her hands.

She looked over at Dean suddenly as a thought occurred to her. "Did you nearly die?"

He didn't reply to her blunt question, but she knew him well enough that he didn't need to and she jumped out of her seat and paced agitatedly.

"Oh my god, you did… didn't you? Are you seriously telling me these dreams I've been having are _real_? All that stuff actually happened."

Bella stopped and looked at the elder Winchester in horror. "Shit Dean, you nearly died… you should have… you were almost _gone_."

She swallowed back a sob and Dean stood up, crossing the room and pulling her into a rough hug, rubbing his hand up and down her back.

"It's okay, Birdie. It's okay." He cleared his throat uncomfortably, not used to dealing with emotional situations. It was Bella though, _little Birdie_, and she was too important to joke or bitch his way out of it.

"I'm sorry," he finally said after a few moments of quiet, "I should never have left it so long… I missed you Birdie."

_I miss you in a heartbeat  
Baby, yeah I miss you right away  
I miss you in a heartbeat  
'Cause it ain't love, if it don't feel that way _

* * *

_Lyrics and chapter title are from Miss You in A Heartbeat ~ Def Leppard_

_This chapter is unbeta'd so any mistakes are my own._

_Thanks and popsicles to Mommy4Thomas for still having a read through to make sure it didn't suck too much. She's the main reason this story was posted in the first place :) She also helped me come up with Dean's name for Bella._

_Strange thing, the original draft of that first kiss scene was actually one of the first things I wrote when I started writing again. I wrote it well before any of my Bella/Kol stuff, and it very nearly never saw the light of day._

_Thank you to everyone that encouraged me to actually use the odd bits and notes I had, and write this story._


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